Hello,I am looking to develop a matlab script that will link a thermometer to a battery powered heating element and activate or deactivate based upon certain temperature thresholds. It is essentially the same idea as a fish tank heater. If anyone could please help me get started with the development process it would be greatly appreciated.

It is relevant in the fact that I will be using matlab to drive the functions of the devices I'm hoping to link. I believe for this project I will need a thermometer which will activate an arduino motor to control a power source. Again I have very little experience with hardware so if you have any ideas about alternative approaches it would be much appreciated.

OK I spent a little of my time Googling "matlab arduino" and it seems you can control an Arduino with Matlab code rather than writing an Arduino sketch (if I understand things correctly).

I don't know anything about Matlab but I know a little about using Arduino and similar stuff such as PIC microcontrollers.

You mention a thermometer and "an Arduino motor to control a power source". Have you done any research on what sort of thermometers you can connect to an Arduino or how any computer can control power to a heater?

I am tempted to wonder if you have considered what facilities an Arduino has?